Learning the basic principles is essential for doing effective public engagement with research, but it can be challenging to apply them to developing your own projects. In this session, we will turn your attention away from your work to explore inspiring examples of public engagement projects that have been successfully planned and delivered.
We will consider what worked well and what did not work in those projects, what the organisers learned and what we might do differently. By analysing these projects, you will gain a better understanding of what makes successful engagement. We will end by reflecting on what inspiration, knowledge, and skills you have gained and how you might apply them to your own work.
This session is for all levels of experience with public engagement. To get the most from this, please familiarise yourself beforehand with the basic principles of public engagement.
Participants will gain:
Useful knowledge into how successful public engagement is planned and delivered
Skills in critically appraising public engagement with research projects
Inspiring ideas to translate to their own work and share with others
Confidence that public engagement is approachable and practical to deliver
To book a place on this workshop please complete the booking form
Would you like to share your research with a public audience? Get involved with our Café Scientifique series for September 2023-July 2024
Café Scientifique is a public event that takes place at The Black Cherry in Boscombe on the first Tuesday of the month (excluding January & August), and is organised centrally by the BU Public Engagement with Research Team (PER Team), part of Research Development and Support.
The format involves delivering a short talk, followed by the opportunity for discussion and questions from a varied public audience. It is a fantastic opportunity for you to gain experience in engaging with the public in a friendly relaxed atmosphere.
We welcome academics at all career stages, although this opportunity is particularly valuable for those getting started in engaging with the public. We encourage collaboration between less experienced and more experienced public speakers to help provide support and a rewarding learning experience.
The PER Team will support you every step of the way. From developing your ideas to engage with a public audience, to setting up and promoting your event. We will also be on hand on the day to help your event run smoothly.
Please note: Completing this form does not guarantee you a space. We will be in touch with you to discuss your interest.
If you have any questions about getting involved with Café Sci, please get in touch with the Public Engagement with Research Team: publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk.
If you would like to know more about REF impact case studies, are hoping to write a case study in the future, or are working towards a case study for the next REF, then this session is for you.
A two-hour, in-person workshop examining in detail everything impact case study, we will look at the different sections and what is required for each one, then examine impact case studies from previous REFs to establish what the panels are looking for. We will then move on to thinking about what you would need to do to start building your own impact case study.
By the end of this session you will be familiar with the structure of an impact case study, what makes an excellent case study and what you will need in order to start building an impact case study from your own research.
Join Faye Watson as she helps you build a toolkit of skills to get started with public engagement. She’ll take you through understanding your audience, to utilise a design process to brainstorm your ideas through to evaluating your events and activities.
A perfect session for any researchers involved with public Engagement or wanting to dip their toes in the water.
Faye is an expert in all things public engagement, having run community outreach programmes, citizen science initiatives and all manner of creative engagement projects.
Don’t miss out on the chance to be part of COMMunity, the research communication network that empowers you to find your voice and amplify your impact.
Monday 22 May 4-5pm
This 1 hour online session is aimed at research staff and students but all are welcome to join.
At Café Scientifique, you can explore the latest ideas in science and technology in a relaxed setting. Enjoy listening to a short talk before engaging in debate and discussion with our guest speaker and audience.
We’ll be joined by Dr Sarah Upson on Tuesday 6 June from 6:30 – 8:00pm.
Many parts of the body cannot effectively renew and repair themselves, for various reasons. This is where tissue engineering and regenerative medicine could step in; to repair, replace or renew tissues in the body.
These techniques may sound futuristic, but they are increasingly being used to change our approach to medicine and aging. New 3D-printed biomaterials can be implanted into the body, enabling tissue re-growth or the complete replacement of damaged tissues. Join Dr Sarah Upson, an expert in biomaterials at Bournemouth University, to discover the latest research and what these new technologies could mean for medicine and society.
This event will be held at The Black Cherry in Boscombe, Bournemouth. Although the talk starts at 6:30pm, the café will be open early so we encourage you to arrive early for a drink and a bite to eat before the talk starts.
If you have any questions about this event, or you’re interested in getting involved with a future Café Sci event, please email the Public Engagement with Research Team: publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk
Apply for up to £1,000 to deliver your event and take part in a national festival of public engagement with research
What is the ESRC Festival of Social Science?
The ESRC Festival of Social Science is an annual, UK-wide, free celebration of the social sciences. The festival consists of a series of events run each autumn, delivered by ESRC’s ‘festival partners’, higher education institutions from across the UK. Events range from exhibitions, lectures and panel debates through to performances, guided walks and workshops. Bournemouth University has been involved in the Festival of Social Science for over a decade.
When and where will it take place?
The 2023 festival will run from Saturday 21 October to Friday 17 November 2023. Events will take place in the local area, largely off-campus, and online.
Partnership with the University of Southampton
The ESRC have changed their rules this year around which institutions can take part in the festival. As a result, instead of being a standalone contributor to the festival, BU will be collaborating with the University of Southampton (UoS). This is a great opportunity for us to collaborate where relevant, on events, planning, promotion and sharing networks. We will still be selecting, organising and running most events ourselves.
Why should I take part?
The festival is a prestigious initiative by a major research funder, and BU’s continued involvement is justified by the quality of our events and activities. Being part of this festival is an achievement worth citing and celebrating. It is an excellent opportunity to engage people outside of academia with your research and with the benefit of co-ordinated support and promotion from RDS and the ESRC.
You can apply for up to £1,000 to deliver your project.
What if I’ve never done public engagement before?
Everyone has to start somewhere, and this is the ideal place. You’ll have access to support, advice and training throughout. If you’re unsure, seek out a more experienced colleague to collaborate with.
The ESRC says that events must “feature social science (ideally with a social scientist involved in the event)”. If this doesn’t clearly apply to you, consider these options;
Does your research have clear implications for society that could be explored from a social science perspective?
Could you collaborate with a social scientist, combining your resources and creativity to explore the impact of your research? If you’re looking for a collaborator, the Research Blog or BU website are great places to start or contact us for help.
What will I be expected to do?
Familiarise yourself with best practice for public engagement with research. Whether you’re new to this or experienced, there’s always room to improve
Submit an event proposal using the instructions below.
Events will be selected by our internal panel.
Plan, deliver and evaluate your activity or event, working with the public engagement team to shape your project into an impactful, professional and fascinating experience.
Timeline (approximate)
Open call for applications
20 June – 10 July
Application deadline
23:59, 10 July
Decisions shared
by 21 July
Event planning
24 July onwards
Festival period
21 October – 17 November
How will the collaboration with University of Southampton work?
As this is the first year we have collaborated on the festival, we will learn as we progress. However, where possible we will be looking for opportunities to collaborate with UoS on events, sharing networks and promotion. If you collaborate with UoS researchers, this could be a great opportunity to hold an event together.
Is there a theme?
The theme is ‘lifelong wellbeing’, but this is not compulsory. The ESRC want to see at least 25% of events on this theme.
Events can be on any aspect of health and wellbeing.
The theme has been chosen so that you can include events on the 75th anniversary of the NHS if you wish to, but this is not essential.
What support will I get?
Being part of this festival means a higher level of support and reach than we are normally able to provide.
To support your application, we’re holding an online information session on how to apply on Thursday 29 June 11am-12pm
This session will explain more about the festival and how to apply through our open call for proposals. We’ll hear from Dr Maxine Gee who held a successful event as part of last year’s festival and who will share experience and advice. We’ll explain how this year’s collaboration with the University of Southampton will work, and how you might find collaborators for your projects.
(please try a different browser if you are having any issues accessing this link)
Before applying, you’ll have access to:
An information session from BU and UoS, featuring previous event holders.
Advice on request from BU’s Engagement Officer, Adam Morris.
The detailed applicant guidance provided on this page.
When your application is successful, you’ll get:
Funding of up to £1,000 managed by RDS.
Training provided by the ESRC Festival of Social Science.
Continuing advice and support from BU’s public engagement team on all areas of planning, delivering, evaluating your activity.
Wide-scale promotion and marketing of your event by BU, UoS and the ESRC.
How to Apply
Apply to take part in the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2023 by completing the online application form by midnight at the end of Monday 10 July 2023.
If you would like to prepare your application ‘offline’ you can download a copy of the form. This is for planning purposes only, you may not submit it.
Café Scientifique is a public event that takes place at The Black Cherry in Boscombe on the first Tuesday of the month (excluding January & August), and is organised centrally by the BU Public Engagement with Research Team, part of Research Development and Support.
The format involves delivering a short talk, followed by the opportunity for discussion and questions from a varied public audience. It is a fantastic opportunity for you to gain experience in engaging with the public in a friendly relaxed atmosphere.
We welcome academics at all career stages, although this opportunity is particularly valuable for those getting started in engaging with the public. We encourage collaboration between less experienced and more experienced public speakers to provide a worthwhile learning experience.
The team will support you every step of the way, from developing your ideas to engage with audience members, to setting up and promoting your event, we also help on the day to ensure your event runs smoothly.
Please note: Completing this form does not guarantee you a space. We will be in touch with you to discuss your interest.
If you have any questions about getting involved with Café Sci, please get in touch with the Public Engagement with Research Team: publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk.
Running from March 2022 to January 2023 with funding from the NERC, the NCCPE delivered an online, capacity building programme for environmental researchers, practitioners and staff seeking to develop more productive and meaningful public and community engagement work.
This has led to the development of three ‘conversation starters’, which weave together the core themes of the programme with the ideas and discussions that most resonated with Academy participants.
The below resources were developed with and for environmental researchers and staff, but they are designed to help people working within a range of contexts to discuss partnerships, leadership and ethics in engagement.
Partnerships in environmental engagement– This resource explores what it means to develop and hold mutually beneficial partnerships in environmental engagement through the lens of the partnership cycle.
Leading environmental engagement – This resource reflects on the leadership challenges for strategically leading engagement practices in a UK higher education and research context. It also provides further resources to support this work.
Ethics of environmental engagement – This resource considers the guidelines for ethical practice in the broader context of environmental engagement.
We are collecting details of all events for external audiences taking place between 1 August 2022 – 31 July 2023
Thank you to everyone who has already provided information via the SharePoint site. The form will stay open for you to add your activities until Friday 29 September 2023. We encourage you to add your new data regularly throughout the year, while the details are easily recalled.
This data forms part of BU’s annual Higher Education – Business & Community Interaction (HE-BCI) survey and is used to calculate our Higher Education Innovation Funding grant. It also feeds into our submission to the Knowledge Exchange Framework so it is really important for us to provide a full and accurate picture of all our public engagement.
Which events do I need to report?
Public lectures & talks
Performance arts (music, dance, drama etc)
Exhibitions (galleries, museums etc)
Museum education
Media engagement (TV/radio interviews, podcasts etc)
If you’re not sure if your event is eligible for inclusion, the SharePoint site includes further details and guidance.
All events that were part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2022, Online Public Lecture Series and Café Scientifique have/will be collated on your behalf centrally, so there is no need to add these.
What data is collected?
We collect a wider range of data than is required for HE-BCI, for additional external and internal reporting, e.g. HEIF Annual Monitoring Statement and Athena Swan. For the purposes of the HE-BCI survey, you must record the following:
Event dates – to ensure eligibility
Whether the event or activity was free or chargeable
Number of attendees (or views/visitors)
Amount of staff time in hours needed for delivery.
Without this specific data, we will not be able to include your event in the survey.
Nestled within the beautiful Brecon Beacons, the Green Man Festival 2023 is taking place 17-20 August.
Einstein’s Garden is the area for creative engagement with science, nature and technology.
Every year the Green Man Festival curate a line up which fuses performance, art, music and research to bring the world around us and our questions about it to life in the most wonderful ways.
Organisers are looking for research groups and any other science/nature/technology-minded people that would like to bring a stall to Einstein’s Garden with the aim of engaging festival audiences with their work.
Deadline for applications: midnight on Friday 28 April 2023
Any questions regarding the application process, please contact Elli at elli@greenman.net
If you would like advice on developing ideas or submitting your application, please contact Adam Morris (Engagement Officer) publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk
Apply for funding to enhance the impact of research in the environmental sciences. NERC knowledge exchange fellowships help you and your stakeholders to share knowledge.
For help and advice on costings and writing your proposal, please contact BU Engagement Officer, Adam Morris at publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk
This funding is subject to the same internal processes as external research funding. Before applying, interested PIs (Principle Investigators) should submit a completed e-ITB form (Intention to Bid) by 4 weeks before the deadline, which is 4pm, 14 June 2023
Being Human Festival returns 9–18 November 2023 with the theme Rhyme or Reason.
Being Human is the UK’s national festival of the humanities, a celebration of humanities research through public engagement. Led by the School of Advanced Study at the University of London, the UK’s national centre for the pursuit, support and promotion of research in the humanities. The festival works in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British Academy to support humanities public engagement across the UK.
About the festival
Each November, Being Human Festival presents hundreds of free events across the UK and beyond. Festival events aim to celebrate and demonstrate the ways in which the humanities inspire and enrich our everyday lives, help us to understand ourselves, our relationships with others, and the challenges we face in a changing world
The festival aims to:
demonstrate the value and relevance of humanities research to society in the UK and globally;
encourage, support and create opportunities for researchers to engage with non-specialist audiences;
embed and join together public engagement activities in the humanities across the higher education sector.
Every year, humanities researchers and other staff from universities and research organisations are invited to apply to take part in the festival by organising a public engagement event, activity or project.
A Being Human Café is a simple, off-the-shelf activity that does not require funding from us. Submit your Being Human Café application online by 5pm, Friday 25 August 2023.
This funding is subject to the same internal processes as external research funding. Before applying, interested PIs (Principle Investigators) should submit a completed e-ITB form (Intention to Bid) by 4 weeks before each deadline.
New online application process
All applications must now be submitted via the online system Survey Monkey Apply. Please follow the step-by-step instructions on how to set up your account and submit an application. Application form templates have been provided to assist with preparing answers for submitting online.
Contact
If you have any questions about applying to the festival that are not answered in the FAQs, please contact apply.beinghuman@sas.ac.uk.
If you would like advice on developing ideas or submitting your application, please contact Adam Morris (Engagement Officer) publicengagement@bournemouth.ac.uk
Explore how working with the media can help to raise the profile of your research and lead to impact in our upcoming workshop – Engaging with the Media for Impact.
This in-person workshop will take place on Talbot Campus from 2pm – 3.30pm on Wednesday 26 April.
Engaging with the media can be a great way to raise your profile and share your research with different audiences, which can increase the reach and potential impact of your work.
Take away practical tips on talking to journalists, tracking the impact of media coverage and finding the best ways to reach your target audiences.
This session is open to all academic staff who are interested in engaging with the media – no previous experience is necessary.
This workshop is taking place as part of the Research and Knowledge Exchange Development Framework (RKEDF) and will be facilitated by Nathaniel Hobby (Senior Communications Manager, M&C) and Emma Matthews (Research Communications Adviser, RDS)
At Café Scientifique, you can explore the latest ideas in science and technology in a relaxed setting. Enjoy listening to a short talk before engaging in debate and discussion with our guest speaker and audience.
Join us to discover the latest advances in neuroscience and the possibility of creating machines that can read human minds.
Dr Géza Gergely Ambrus will explore how machine learning algorithms could decode brain activity and reconstruct subjective experiences, and what this might mean for fields such as neuroprosthetics and brain-computer interfaces.
We will consider how this research could help us understand how humans think, but also raise important ethical questions about the potential use of such technologies to access our innermost thoughts and memories. This talk is suitable for anyone interested in neuroscience, artificial intelligence, or the ethics of technology.
This event will be held at The Black Cherry in Boscombe, Bournemouth. Although the talk starts at 6:30pm, the café will be open early so we encourage you to arrive early for a drink and a bite to eat before the talk starts.
Join Cafe Scientifique next Tuesday 4th April at the Black Cherry Cafe, Boscombe.
At Café Scientifique, you can explore the latest ideas in science and technology in a relaxed setting. Enjoy listening to a short talk before engaging in debate and discussion with our guest speaker and audience.
We’ll be joined by Professor Lee Miles and Martin Travers on Tuesday 4 April from 6:30 – 8:00pm.
African countries are increasingly vulnerable to disasters of all kinds and must urgently enhance their abilities and capacities to deal with these hazards. Join us to learn how social science research could help improve disaster management in Africa using innovative Single Points of Failure approaches and partnerships with local stakeholders. We’ll hear how African countries have embraced new technology and how disaster management can even take place over WhatsApp!
We will welcome two speakers; Lee Miles, Professor of Crisis and Disaster Management at Bournemouth University and Martin Travers, a highly experienced practitioner who has worked in Sierra Leone, to hear both academic and practical perspectives.
This event will be held at The Black Cherry in Boscombe, Bournemouth. Although the talk starts at 6:30pm, the café will be open early so we encourage you to arrive early for a drink and a bite to eat before the talk starts.
For more than a century, the BBC has been a fixture of British cultural life. However, few people are aware of the key role played by women in its earliest days.
The next event in our online public lecture series will showcase the pioneering women of the BBC – from female producers through to the engineers, broadcasters and managers who carried the BBC through the Second World War and beyond.
The free event will take place online from 7pm – 8.30pm on Thursday 23 March.
Dr Kate Terkanian and Dr Kate Murphy – from the Faculty of Media and Communication – will share stories uncovered by their research into women in the BBC, from the 1920s up to the 1950s.
There will also be the opportunity for audience questions.
The event takes place during Women’s History Month, which this year is celebrating ‘The Women Who Tell Our Stories’, encouraging recognition of women, past and present, who have been active in all forms of media and storytelling.
It is the third event in BU’s 2022/23 online public lecture series, which showcases our research and expertise across key areas. The first lecture series attracted more than 1,000 attendees from across the world.
Before the pandemic, local school children had a local facility near Wallisdown called SafeWise. SafeWise supported children learning about keeping safe and in particular road safety. However, during the pandemic this facility closed, leaving children without such an important resource. In collaboration with Colin Parnell from Centre VR, Dr Sarah Hodge (from the Department of Psychology) was awarded a bid by Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole (BCP) Council to develop a VR simulation/game about road safety skills; SaferKids VR.
The educational simulation/game was designed and created, with an interdisciplinary team, including psychologists, and game developers and programmers. The team of game developers and programmers, consisted of two BU graduates Sam Walsh and Josh Maddocks, as well as Andrew Ham. Since graduating from his Masters degree, Sam has led the team on the SaferKids VR development.
Within SaferKids VR, there was the creation of SKIE: Safer Kids Interactive Expert (robot pictured above). SKIE supports the player in VR, navigating the friendly real-life interactive virtual world and achieving learning goals and road safety skills. In the United States, every year, thousands of people are injured as a result of someone else’s negligence. You can read this article to know what to do if you ever get into an accident.
Schools can sign up for their pupils to be involved.
For more information on the project please see the link https://centrevr.co.uk/saferkidsvr/ or contact shodge@bournemouth.ac.uk
Please tell us about your social, cultural and community events for the period 1 August 2022 – 31 July 2023
This data forms part of BU’s annual Higher Education – Business & Community Interaction survey and is used to calculate our Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF) grant. It also feeds into our submission to the Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF) so it is really important for us to provide a full and accurate picture of all our public engagement.
Which events do I need to report?
Public lectures & talks
Performance arts (music, dance, drama etc)
Exhibitions (galleries, museums etc)
Museum education
Media engagement (TV/radio interviews, podcasts etc)
If you’re not sure if your event is eligible for inclusion, take a look at the SharePoint sitewhich includes further details and guidance.
What data do we collect?
For the purposes of the HE-BCI survey, please record the following:
Event dates – to ensure eligibility
Whether the event or activity was free or chargeable
The number of attendees (or views/visitors)
The amount of staff time in hours needed for delivery.
All events that were part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2022, Online Public Lecture Series and Café Scientifique have been collated on your behalf centrally, so there is no need to add these.
Deadline: Friday 29 September 2023
We would encourage you to add your new data regularly throughout the year, while the details are easily recalled.
Further information
TheSharePoint site provides details about what data is collected, including how to calculate attendee numbers, staff time, reporting online activities and multiple related events.
Every year the Green Man Festival curate a line up which fuses performance, art, music and research to bring the world around us and our questions about it to life in the most wonderful ways.
Pathways 
Join us to discover the latest advances in neuroscience and the possibility of creating machines that can read human minds. 
The next event in our 
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